The United Nations Human Rights Council on Friday condemned Israel's "apparent intentional use of unlawful lethal and other excessive force" against civilian protesters in Gaza and called for perpetrators of all violations in the strip to face justice.
The Geneva forum adopted a resolution on accountability, brought by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, by a vote of 23 states in favor, eight against with 15 abstentions.
European countries were divided. The United States does not participate, having quit the body last year over perceived anti-Israel bias.
The text was based on a report by a U.N. inquiry which alleged that Israeli security forces may have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in killing 189 Palestinians and wounding more than 6,100 at weekly protests last year, which are instigated by Hamas.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, has admitted that dozens of the casualties in the clashes were members of its organization, rather than innocent civilians.
Last week, Israeli authorities opened criminal investigations into the deaths of 11 Palestinians who were killed during protests along the Gaza border over the past year.
A senior Israeli official briefed journalists in Geneva to rebut allegations contained in the U.N. human rights report.
The official said full-fledged criminal investigations in such cases are opened if "reasonable grounds" of suspicion of criminal misconduct are found.
"If we find somebody violated the law, there will be consequences, but a war crime has to be intentional."
Under Israeli rules of engagement, live fire can be used only if there is a real and imminent threat from individuals or a mob, and only as a last resort, the official said.
"Each and every bullet received authorization of an experienced commander at the scene," he said.
